Student posts controversial ad for 'non-white' roommate

Kare Urena and Isaac Tucker-Rasbury posted on Facebook that they were looking for another roommate and included the term POC only. (KTRK)

KTRK

Sunday, August 14, 2016

CLAREMONT, Calif. --

Pitzer College is facing controversy after students published a Facebook post looking for a "nonwhite" roommate.

Kare Urena and one of her roommates, Isaac Tucker-Rasbury, posted on Facebook that they were looking for another roommate and included the term POC only, meaning "people of color only," it caused quite the stir.

Urena explained her reason behind the post. She said the idea was not meant to be racist, but rather a desperate move to create a safe space for her.

"I do not hate white people, that's not what I screamed in that post," she said. "What I screamed in that post was I am eagerly desperate to create a safe space on this campus in order for me to return and be successful here."

Tucker-Rasbury says that he cannot be racist because racism is built upon prejudice and power. He says in order to be racist he would need some system or network of power.

KABC reports that the school's president, Melvin Oliver, responded to the controversy saying the post is "inconsistent with (the) mission and values" of Pitzer College.

"This is but another example to us that social media is not an effective platform to engage in complex dialog on seemingly intractable critical issues that have varied histories and contested understandings," he added.